July Week 2 | Gainesville, GA
Match #1: One on One Normal | Undertaker vs. Steve Austin
Austin came out like a house on fire, using a series of strikes to disorient the champion. He managed to hit the Lou Thesz press and follow that up with a Stunner, but that was only good enough for the two count. Undertaker has been close to unbeatable since winning the WWE Title from Triple H, and he showed it here. After Austin continued to mount an attack, Taker was able to eventually counter him and muster up the energy needed for a chokeslam. When Austin got up to his feet he was sent immediately back to the canvas with a Last Ride, which Taker followed up with a pin to win the match. Afterwards, The Rock, who attacked Taker last week, came out to the stage to stared down the champion and sarcastically applaud his victory.
Winner: Undertaker by pinfall.
Middle Card Promo: Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho came out to the ring on his own to address the WWE Universe. He said that he's the hardest working superstar in the locker room and was highly frustrated by not having any marquee matchups of late. Enter Randy Orton. Orton came out to the ring and told Jericho that if he wants a marquee match, he's his guy. He has pins over Shawn Michaels and The Rock in the last few weeks and is the hottest rising star in the company. Orton demanded Jericho put his Intercontinental title on the line against him, to which Jericho accepted.
Match #2: One on One Normal | Kevin Nash w/ Scott Hall vs. Bret Hart w/ Jim Neidhart
Booker T eliminated Bret Hart in the 2nd round of the King of the Ring tournament, so Nash set out to prove he was just as good by taking on The Hitman himself. It was a tightly contested contest with Nash stepping away from his previous heelish tendencies and not having Scott Hall run interference. Nash at times dominated with his sheer size and strength but Bret Hart was able to kick out of two Jackknife Powerbombs. When Bret was able to take things to the mat the odds shifted in his favour and his superior technical prowess came to his advantage. A figure-four in the center of the ring nearly forced Nash to tap before he was able to break out, and Hart nearly locked in a Sharpshooter moments later but Nash was able to use his lower body strength to avoid being fully locked in the hold. Unfortunately for Bret he got somewhat desperate to win and that cost him. A diving move from the top rope was met with a big boot straight to the face by Nash, which he followed up with a third Jackknife Powerbomb to grab a very impressive victory. After the match, King Booker's music and titantron came up, but he didn't appear on the stage. Moments later Booker was hitting Nash in the head from behind in the ring and then he delivered a Book End to Scott Hall as well to take him out. The King of the Ring was left standing tall after this one was all said and done.
Winner: Kevin Nash by pinfall.
Match #3: Two on Two Tag Team | Dudley Boyz vs. Edge & Christian
The Dudleyz faced off against Edge and Christian in non-title action. With the Hardyz out of the title picture, WWE brass is still in search of a new challenger for their tag team titles, but it seems like Edge and Christian won't be filling that role. They never really got going in this contest as the Dudleyz were able to isolate both of them individually and inflict some serious punishment. Eventually, Edge was left alone to face the two brothers with Christian unconscious at ringside and ended up on the receiving end of a 3-D before being rolled up for a three count.
Winners: Dudley Boyz by pinfall.
Match #4: One on One Normal | Kurt Angle vs. Shelton Benjamin
Two wrestlers with very similar amateur wrestling backgrounds faced off here. Angle, the more experienced star and Shelton the up and comer. Shelton's youth helped him early on as he was much quicker and had more energy than Angle, which let him mount an early flurry of offense. But Angle's experience proved more valuable. Shelton wore himself out with the early attacks, and they weren't enough to put away Kurt anyway. Then the Olympic gold medallist started to dissect the United States Champion. Angle took repeated shots at the knees and legs of Shelton, crippling him before locking him into an Angle Lock, that there was simply no chance of the champ getting out of. Benjamin was forced to submit in a humbling loss to one of the top guys in the company, Kurt Angle. Perhaps Shelton isn't quite ready for the big leagues just yet.
Winner: Kurt Angle by submission.
Main Event: One on One Extreme Rules | Batista w/ Ric Flair vs. Mankind for the Hardcore Championship
Mankind for the second straight week came out to the ring to issue an open challenge for his Hardcore title, only this time it was the main event of Smackdown!. Evolution's theme music started to play as Dave Batista came out to the ring flanked by Ric Flair. Batista has not yet wrestled in a singles match in WWE, but this would be his first as he laid down a challenge for Mankind's belt. Mankind clearly didn't know what he was getting himself into though, as Flair, despite being in a suit, was as involved in this match as any wrestler could be. With the no disqualification rules it was easy for the Dirtiest Player in the game to repeatedly stop Mankind from getting weapons that could inflict serious damage on Batista. This made it more of a pure wrestling match where Mankind was actually at a disadvantage against the much smaller Batista. It all came to a head when Mankind managed to hit Batista with a butterfly DDT and went outside the ring to grab a kendo stick to finish off The Animal. Ric Flair interfered with him for just long enough that by the time Mankind got back into the ring, Batista had recovered. Evolution's powerhouse hit Mankind with a Batista Bomb that left the hardcore champion lying lifeless in the center of the ring and then he pinned him to become the new Hardcore Champion. Of course for Evolution, winning is never enough and Batista continued to beat the hell out of Mankind in unison with Flair after the match was over.
Winner: Batista by pinfall.